


For Months On End I've Had My Doubt, Denying Every Tear

by dedeecated_dee



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Break Up, But he's honest af, Cheating Derek, College Student Derek, College Student Stiles, College Student Theo, Happy Theo, Hurt Stiles, M/M, One-Sided Theo Raeken/Stiles Stilinski, Stiles & Scott & Jordan are bros, Theo is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 09:54:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6370231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedeecated_dee/pseuds/dedeecated_dee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title is from Sam Smith's "I'm Not The Only One"</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Months On End I've Had My Doubt, Denying Every Tear

The silence was maddening. It had been fifteen minutes since Derek had come over to his apartment.

Stiles turned to Derek and saw him looking at him patiently.

How could he be so calm?

“I...”, Stiles started. He took a deep breath. “I want to ask you a question and I’d like you to be completely honest”

“Okay”, Derek nodded.

“The girl in your profile picture, is- is she really your friend?”, Stiles didn’t dare to look at him. He didn’t want him to see how broken he made him.

Derek answered in a heartbeat, “Yes, Stiles. She’s just a friend. A close friend actually. We’ve been friends since high school but I never get the chance to introduce the two of you”

Throat tightening, Stiles nodded. “You said the reason you used a picture of you and her as your profile picture was because you lost a bet against her and it was only for three days... But turned out it took longer than what you promised me—“

“I forgot, babe. You know I rarely change my profile picture”, Derek cut him off. Stiles couldn’t breathe, his eyes were getting hotter and hotter each second. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his tears at bay. He really wished with all his heart that this was just a nightmare, so when he opened his eyes, he would be on his comfortable bed instead, with Derek waking him up and holding him, saying everything was okay, he loved him and would never ever leave him.

Stiles didn’t seem to be able to stop breathing heavily. His chest hurt. Really hurt. _So what they say in sad songs is true after all?_ , he thought sarcastically.

“Baby, say something. What really happened? Talk to me, please”, his boyfriend begged. He took Stiles’ hand but the younger man flinched and pulled his hand back.

Stiles opened his eyes. “Yesterday Theo texted me, asking if we broke up. I said no and asked him why he had asked that. He didn’t answer my question and instead asked me again if you had any sisters. I said yes, two sisters. Then he said okay. I asked him again why he had asked those things and he sent me a screenshot of your timeline on Path. Then I got it. It was the same picture you used for the bet. I never knew when you said you had to change your profpic, you meant it on all your social media accounts.

“I felt so stupid. Of course Theo thought we’ve broken up. Hell, everyone would! Do you have any idea how ashamed I was last night, when I had to tell him that no, that wasn’t your sister, that was your _friend_ , and no, we didn’t break up, you just lost a bet? Just, tell me how precious she is that you don’t mind making people think you have a new girlfriend?”

Derek didn’t say anything for a moment. His head was bowed. “I’m sorry but I promise you she’s just a friend. I didn’t think someone would come up to you and ask about that”, he said quietly.

“We’ve had this argument before. I’ve told you that I can’t bear it when you’re being too comfortable with your friends, and you promised me to keep distance with them even though that wasn’t what I wanted, I just wanted you to see me as your boyfriend and respect that”, Stiles took a shuddering breath, “But then you broke it. You did that again and I didn’t know what to do anymore because I realised that our principles were too different. I’m sorry but I can’t understand why you could freely call your friends baby or even give them flirtatious emojis, and to pose like that in that picture... Would you still use that picture if I had a Path account? I know—“

Derek interrupted again, “She’s my friend, okay? Just like you with Jordan and Scott. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t take pictures with one of them when they visited you!“

“Maybe I would but I sure as hell wouldn’t upload them for people to see because I’m currently in a relationship and I respect that! I respect you, Derek. Why...”,Stiles stopped himself, finally allowing his tears to flow free,  “You know Theo likes me, right? Can you imagine how happy he would be if he saw us right now? And last night, I bet he already knew that that girl is not your sister and wanted me to break. I bet he knew this would happen. Not that I blame him, though. Not at all. I feel like thanking him instead. Should I just grant his wish and come running into his arms, Derek?”

Derek looked up in surprise, “Stiles—“

“Because I saw it. I saw your chat with her through the screenshots he sent me. Too intimate to be called friends, if you ask me. And Theo said it all started since September 15, which is funny I think because I remembered you uploaded a picture of a bag with number 15 on it on Facebook and tagged her to say thank you. Is that your anniversary date, Derek? And the bag must be a handmade, isn’t it? She must really love you”

Derek grabbed his hand, tightly this time so he couldn’t get away. “Baby, I swear we’re just friends! Yes, the bag is her gift but it isn’t like what you think. She knows I like the number 15, so she made it for me. It’s innocent as that. And about our principles, I promise you we’ll sort it out together, I’ll  try to change mine into yours, baby, please”

Stiles shook his head tiredly. “If you have to change your life for someone, then that someone is bad for you. None of us has to change, we’re already too different from the start”, he chuckled out of nowhere, “I thought the reason why you had been so distant and claimed to be busy this past few months was because you were preparing a surprise for our second anniversay, which is tomorrow, by the way. But you already know that, right? You’re always the first to call every month on twenty nine. I guessed...  I guessed I just dreamt too high I forgot to wake up”

Derek said nothing, just continued holding onto Stiles’ hand.

“I didn’t lie, babe. I was – still is – busy. Please understand that I still have so many things to do and can’t find enough time to spend with you”

Stiles remained quiet.

“Then, what now? I don’t wanna break up just because of a little misunderstanding, especially on the night of our anniversary. I still love you, Stiles”

Stiles snorted inwardly at ‘a little misunderstanding’. “I honestly don’t know, Derek. My feelings are too messed up right now. I don’t know what to believe, you make too many promises. I think it’d be better if we stop seeing each other”

Derek didn’t try to stop Stiles this time, he looked dejected. But Stiles knew better. That’s good, Stiles thought. He couldn’t handle being an idiot any longer by trusting his sweet mouth again.  He let go of Derek’s grasp.

“Thank you, Derek. For everything. I’m sorry if being with me made you suffocated, you couldn’t express yourself freely, couldn’t talk to me. You shouldn’t have done that. You should’ve said that you wanted out, then I would’ve given it to you straight away even though it would’ve hurt me. But at least it would have been less complicated like now. I shouldn’t have had to know it from anyone else. But trust me, I don’t blame you and I don’t regret our times together, because you were a good companion and always knew how to make me smile”

Stiles touched Derek’s cheek, making him look at him. “Good luck with her. I won’t make you promise this but at least try not to hurt her like you hurt me, okay?” He kissed his cheek and could feel a tear touched his lips.

“I’m sorry”, Derek whimpered. He looked down to his lap.

Stiles smiled. “I know you are. Now go home, it’s getting late. I know you’re a badass but it’s still dangerous to be alone at night”

***

_Theo panicked when Stiles didn’t respond his message. “What the hell? Did he not know about it?”, he thought. He hurriedly called Stiles and he picked up after the second ring._

_“Hello”, Theo’s heart ached hearing the lifeless voice of his love._

_“Stiles...?”_

_Stiles sobbed on the other side.Theo felt like an asshole for texting him in the first place, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret. Stiles had had to know that his boyfriend was the real asshole here._

_“Shit. Stiles, stop crying, please. If I had known this would make you cry, I would’ve never asked. Please”_

_“No, Theo. It’s okay. If anything, I should be thanking you. I never knew any of the things you showed me. You really helped me clearing my doubts on Derek”, Stiles said miserably._

_“So you really didn’t know? Do you ever check his phone or even follow his social media?”_

_“I... I never check his phone and I don’t have Path, I wasn’t interested. I’m still not”_

_Theo had truthfully surprised when he had seen the girl on Derek’s profile picture instead of Stiles, and with their interaction on Path, Derek calling the girl babe and the girl giving love emojis to him, he had thought that Derek and Stiles had finally broken up, so he had decided to confirm it to Stiles before happily getting a move on him again. But Stiles had said that they had still been together, that Theo shouldn’t have been too mean to ask such thing and the girl was just a friend of Derek. Theo knew Stiles got a golden heart and was really easy to put his trust on someone, especially the ones he loved, but Theo had never expected him to be that naive. And Derek. God, how much of a fool could that guy be? Who cheated openly on the internet where everyone could see, for fuck’s sake? Dude couldn’t even cheat right. But frankly Theo just couldn’t decide who was the stupidest of the two._

_He didn’t care, though. Derek had ‘surrendered’ now and given him his right back on Stiles._

_“Stiles, what kind of a person that’s not curious about their partner? You should’ve checked his phone. Regularly”_

_“I’m not that kind of person, Theo. I can’t. It’s his privacy and it’s not like we’re married”_

_Theo sighed loudly, “Aren’t you a piece of treasure”_

_“Shut up”, Stiles chuckled. It was not a full laugh, but it still counted._

_He was quiet for a moment before continuing, “I admit I had a real bad feeling about him being distant even before you told me, but an optimist that I am, I just thought he was going to surprise me on our anniversary”_

_Theo tsked, “Quit talking about that bastard. I didn’t call to hear you telling me a story of Prince Derek and Princess Stiles”_

_“You’re such an asshole”_

_“Maybe. But at least I’m honest”_

_Stiles didn’t reply, but Theo could imagine him smiling lightly._

_“Now let me make you laugh so you can sleep peacefully”_

_They talked for hours and Theo had made true of his words; Stiles couldn’t stop laughing and Theo never allowed silence between them even for a second, otherwise Stiles would start crying again. Theo knew, when Stiles fell for someone, he fell hard, and though Derek had betrayed him, he knew it was still gonna take a long time for Stiles to move on. Until that time came, Theo would always keep being there until Stiles realized that they belonged together._


End file.
